May 17 // The Post’s endorsements for Montgomery County’s council and school board

About 50 candidates are on the June 26 Democratic primary ballot for the Montgomery County Council, well over half of them vying for four at-large seats, three of them open because of term limits, on the nine-member body. In an overwhelmingly Democratic county, the primary winners are likely shoo-ins in November; no Republican has won a countywide election in 16 years. As the legislature for a jurisdiction of 1.1 million people, the council plays a central role in land use, transportation, housing and fiscal policy, among other matters; it also controls the purse strings for the school system, one of the nation’s largest, funded mainly by local taxes. (Wash. Post)

Give the public a say in Kamenetz's replacement (and don't turn tragedy into a chance for political gain)

Kevin Kamenetz’s death was a shocking event for Baltimore County. Ramming through a vote for a replacement without even taking a few hours for the public to voice an opinion about what they’re looking for in the person who will take over as county executive for the remainder of his term would compound the trauma. Using the occasion to further the career of another elected official would be callous and disrespectful. (Balt. Sun)

Annapolis incident shows why police body cameras are a good idea

Police officers are as human as any of us. And if most of us were in jobs in which everything we do or say in important situations was recorded on video, a lot of the resulting footage would leave us wishing desperately we could have a redo. But what police do in important situations can determine whether people are fined, sent to jail or wind up with criminal records that could follow them around for years. That means police need body cameras. The circumstances leading to this week’s dismissal of charges against a 23-year-old named Ryan Greenstreet show why. (Capital)

Dan Sparaco: Pugh 'ain't the one' to move Baltimore forward

Things were supposed to be different after the unrest of 2015 and the elections of 2016. But they are not different. It's been two long years since the mayoral primary, and Baltimore still finds itself trapped between the politicians we elect and the leadership we need. We’re still looking for our path forward as a city. But at least one thing is certain: Catherine Pugh ain't the one to help us find it. (Balt. Sun)

Profits up

Nobody should have been surprised when CSX Transportation eliminated another 100 jobs at its Cumberland rail yard. (See: “100 CSX workers lose jobs,” May 12 Times-News, Page 1A.) We were warned. The Jacksonville Daily Record reported in March that CSX cut 4,600 jobs in 2017 and was looking to cut 6,200 more over the next three years. This repeated what railroad CEO James Foote and CFO Frank Lonegro said in December. (CSX corporate headquarters is in Jacksonville, Florida.) Mark Wallace, CSX executive vice president and CAO, said “We’re a bloated organization ... We will achieve this principally through attrition.” (Times-News)

Mike Rogers: In District 32, let's build bridges, not walls

Hello, fellow citizens of Anne Arundel County! My name is Mike Rogers and I am delighted to introduce myself as a candidate for Maryland House of Delegates, District 32. I am a retired 29-year career Army officer who has made Anne Arundel County my home for the past 15 years. In that time, I have been raising a family and working to make my life as purposeful as possible while helping to better my community. I know how real the struggle is for so many. That is a big part of the reason I am for running for office. I have served my country and want to bring that experience to serve my community. (Capital)

May 16 // De Sousa had to resign; Pugh has to do better

Darryl De Sousa’s resignation as Baltimore police commissioner was an unfortunate necessity. His admission that he failed for three years in a row to file his federal taxes — an offense for which he faces three misdemeanor charges — diminished his moral authority as the city’s top law enforcement official, called into question his ability to manage a 3,000-employee department and sapped public confidence in Mayor Catherine Pugh’s administration. Even if the additional federal subpoenas related to his pay, expenses and taxes don’t lead to additional revelations about Mr. De Sousa’s finances, even if he is somehow able to clear up his legal problems, Mayor Pugh could not have allowed him to come back from his suspension. (Balt. Sun)

Can the Maryland model for health care become a national one?

When Maryland convinced the federal government to allow a massive experiment under the Affordable Care Act to change the way hospitals are paid to care for patients, it was a very big deal. Creating incentives for hospitals to keep patients healthy and in the community rather than paying them more to fill their beds was nothing short of revolutionary. Working out the details in a way that satisfied players in the health care system whose interests were sometimes opposed was a monumental task. It almost didn’t happen, and that was when the O’Malley administration was negotiating with the Obama administration. (Balt. Sun)